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Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Manga Review: The Prince in His Dark Days, Volume 1, by Hico Yamanaka


Rating (Out of 5): ~3
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: September 2016
Volumes: 4.
Spoilers?: No.
Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Atsuko's father is a drunk, and she's shunned by her classmates as "the poor kid." Walking the streets in a dark fog of despair, Atsuko cons perverts out of their money to survive. Then, one day, she meets Itaru, the heir to a wealthy family, who happens to look exactly like her. Itaru hatches a plan: Atsuko will live his tedious public life for him, and she will get a taste of the luxuries enjoyed by the 1%. Everybody's (finally) happy. Right?

Review:

I was actually quite interested in this series when I first heard of it. But, after starting it, I'm a bit unsure. Plus, I heard that it was ended early, which makes me wary—it is short, though, so easy to get through.
Atsuko has a useless father, and no one at school likes her. She's not old enough to get a job, so she does what she can to pay the bills. When she bumps into the rich Itaru, he kidnaps her, and they discover there's a surprising similarity in their looks. When Itaru goes missing, his helpers go to Atsuko first, wanting her to be his double.
I don't really care for Atsuko. She's weak, gets extremely happy when she's thanked because no one has ever said it to her before. Itaru seems to have possibly been holding a secret life, or at least secret desires. It's not until the second half of the volume, when we get to see Ryo's past and they celebrate his birthday, that I really enjoyed the volume. I like the relationship developing between Ryo and Atsuko, and I do like seeing Atsuko get stronger and dedicated to doing something. Shibusawa is a good character, too.
I'm iffy about this series. I liked some parts, and didn't like others. The artwork was just okay, and the beginning was rough. But it is a short series, and I kind of want to see where these plot threads go.

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